A recent column by Jochen Legewie, president of a German communications consultancy company, pointed out that foreign direct investment in Japan "stands at a meager 4 percent."Those numbers, published in The Japan Times, also seem to accurately reflect the approach the bj-league is taking when it comes to its own business plan -- that is, investment must only come from Japanese.

None of the current 21 teams are owned or operated by foreigners or foreign companies, and even partial ownership by a foreign group doesn't appear likely anytime soon.The possibility of so-called outside help seems like the last thing on the minds of team and league executives, especially after short stints in ownership by the late Vince Rawl for the Oita HeatDevils and Michael Lerch for the now-defunct Tokyo Apache.

Neither man made a long-term commitment. That was what was needed for both teams.

(Of course, reaching out for help and reaching out to present that message would require work, long-term planning and a dose of humility to admit past failures.)

And that places an even greater burden on the many small sponsors that are cobbled together to help each of the teams' budget goals.If the Miyazaki Shining Suns had received an injection of foreign investment, say from a retired NBA player who wanted to own a stake in a team, would the team have exited the bj-league after only its third season?

If a comprehensive plan was hatched to gain more outside investment and partnerships and a number of Fortune 500 companies were contacted, could they be persuaded to play a role in funding teams and the investing in upgraded promotions, marketing, and other vital interests for the league? If so, this could include a fully bilingual league website, which could help create a much wider level of knowledge about the league here and abroad.

There are a lot of missed opportunities for the league, day after day, week after week.